Apparatus for selectively and automatically announcing the approach and destination of trains to a junction-point.



J. P. COLEMAN. APPARATUS P011., SELBGTIVELY AND AUTGMATIUALLY ANN OUNCNG THE APPROACH STINATXON OP TRAINS TO A JUNCTION POINT.

A ND DE APPLICATION FILED .TAN.G,1S)09.

Patented May Ll, 1.909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

J. P, COLEMAN.

APPARATUS FOR SELEGTIVELY AND AUTOMATIGALLY ANNOUNGING THE APPROACH `AND DESTINATION OP TRAINS TO A JUNCTION POINT.

APPLICATION FILED JAN,6,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Paented May 4, 1909.

UNITED SATES JOHN Vl'. COLEMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE UNION'SWITCH & SIGNAL COMPANY,- OF SWISSVALE, IENNSYLVAN IA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS Fois. snLnc'rzvnLY Ann Anrotrnrrcerirr ANNQUNCING Ten Arrnoseir DESTINATION .on TRAINS -fro morren-POINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1909.

Application-filed January 6, 1909. Serial No. 476,903.

for selectively and automatically.announcingthe approach and destination' of trains .to 'a junction-point, of which the-following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to 4apparatus byI v.means of which a train 'automatically and selectively announces its-approach to a junc-` tion point where .its route is'to be controlled past that point.

Heretofore it :has been the usual practice for a train to announce its approach and destination to thetowerman at the junction.

point by ineens ofits 'whistle or pther signal or for a trainman, .after the train has been brought to a stop, lto announce the traiiis A approach andd'estination bytelephone, bell taps or likev means. loth of these inethods are more or less objectionable from an operating point ,of view in that in the iirst place confusion of the signals might result and therefore accident or delay, .and in the second.

case, the delay incident to stopping the train so that the trainnian may signa ,-to say nothing of the wear and tearupon the roadbed and equipment.

It is an object'of the present invention to avoid these objections by vproviding apparatus located upon a car or-cars of the train and in the. trackway for announcing the approach of the train, as well as its destination, thereby enabling the operator at the junction point to set up the proper route for the car or train before its arrivalI at the junction point. y

I will` describe a form of apparatus embodying my invention, and 'then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation, partly in vertical transverse section, and partly in diagram of apparatus for carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a view partly in elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal sectionl and partly in diagram of certain of the apparatus shown in Fig. l. Fig. 3 is detail perspective view of a modiiication embodying my invention. Fig. 4. is a view similar to Fig. 1, but'showing a modification. Fig.

being suitably pivoted on a support c2 5 is a diagrammatical view showing an application of my invention to one set of conditions arising in practice.

Similar ,'chai'acters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 5, it will be seen that a train traveling along the track X in the direction of the arrow can, on arriving at the junctiontake one ofy three routes A, B, C. Which route it takes depends upon the osition of the switches at the junction which are controlled in their movements by `machines or devices located in the tower D at the junction. Also located in the tower are a number of indicators, of any desired construction or arrangement, A', B', C, one being provided for each route over which a train may travel toward itsv destination., The purpose of these indicators is to announce to the operator in .the tower which route 'an approaching train is to take, and the indicator in the resent invention is caused to operate throug suitable a paratus under the control ofthe driver of t e car or train.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, my invention is shown applied to an electric railway, em loying a third rail or trolley and the tracl'rails in the power circuit, it being understood that the generator.

for the car propulsion current has one .pole connected vwith the third rail and the other pole'with the track rails. Current for the electric circuits employed in connection with the apparatus of my invention may therefore be obtained from the power circuit, suitable resistances being employed in such circuits wherever necessary. vEach indicator is provided with an electric circuit which eX- tends from the indicator to a determined point in advance ofthe junction. At this point, a suitable form'of circuit controller E is includedby means of which the circuit is opened and closed. Preferably the circuit controller will in its usual, or what may be termed its normal position, have` the 4circuit open and will always tend to open the circuit. The form of circ-uit controller shown in the drawings comprises a fixed .contact e and a movable non-magnetic contact e, the latl l har-lig connected withita plate e3 or o r part which, in the present case, acts a eounterweight and armature. .Acting a is' lifted throughbeing attracted by a magnet it moves the contact einto engagement with the contact e and thus closes the circuit.

' Foreach indicator there will be a circuit and v-a circuit controller and of course in the case olf-a plurality of indicators the circuits therefor may have Wires in common. Also each circuit controller may be in a separate casing or there may beone casing I for a plurality of circuit controllers, as 'shown in the drawing, and the circuit controllers and their casings or casing will preferably be located on atie between the track rails. The cover or top of the casing will, preferably', be of some nonmagnetic material.

The" circuit for the indicator A may be traced as follows: Starting from the third rail Y., Wire 1, resistance 2, Wires 3, 4, contact e', c'ontact e (when the contacts are in en-l gagement) wire 5, indicator A and wire 6 to the track rail or railsZ. The circuit for indicator B includes the circuit controller E', and continues from Wire 3 through wire 7 contacts e and e of the circuit controller E -Wire 8 indicator B, and wire 6 to the track.

The circuit for indicator@ includes the circuit controller E2 and continuesfrom wire 3 through wire 9, contacts e and e of the circuit controller E2, wire 9, indicator C, and wire 6 to the track. It will be seen from the foregoing that eachcircuit for each indicator is o en and is closed by the circuit controller inc uded therein.

The circuit controllers E, E', etc, are operated from the car or cars traveling along the railway, and in accordance with my invention they are selectively operated. In carrying out this feature of my invention I provide an electro magnet carried by the car, and preferably I provide an electro magnet v for each circuit controller, though it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that one electro-maglnet may do-i'or 'a plurality of crhel cuit contro ers, the selective action being obtained by movin the electro-magnet over the circuit contro ler which it is desired to operate.

F, F, F2, designate the electro-magnets, and as shown, they are double pole and suspended from an axle of the car by a nonma netic yoke piece f. The yoke pieces are a ainst rotary movement from the axle by a -pate or other device G, carried by the car body. The plate or device G ermits of relative movement between the a e and car body, this being accomplished by having the plate extend into a vertical slot or cut g in each yoke f. As shown, the circuit for each electro-magnet is independent, but each circuit is shown as bein controlled from a single switch arm H, t ough a switch arm may be usedfor each magnet. The circuit for the electro-magnet F may be traced as follows: Contact shoe traveling along the rail Y, wire 12, resistance 13 to switch arm H, contact 14, wire 15 electro-magnet F, w' e 16 to car axle and wheels to track Z. T e circuit -for the electro-magnet F would be from switch arm H, contact 17, Wire 18, electro-magnet F', and Wire 19 tothe car axle. The circuit 'for the electro-magnet F2 would be from switch arm H, contact 20, wire 21, electro-magnet F2, and wire 22 to the car axle. Thus it will be seen that by moving the switch arm H any of the electro magnets can be energized and when so energized and in passing over its circuit controller the plate c3 will be attracted to close that indicator circuit. A y

In Fig. 3, a single coil is used instead of the double coils in Figs. 1 and 2, and in which the axle rail and a tie-plate J extending under the rail and support e2 are included in the magnetic circuit employed to lift the plate e3 to close the circuit. A link 5 connected at one end to the car body and at its other end to an extension of the magnet core resists the tendency of the magnet to turn with the axle.

Fig..4 shows the sameforin of apparatus as Vthat used in Figs. 1 and 2, but adapted for steam railroad conditions.

the circuits of the electro-magnets and a battery T is employed Jfor ,the circuits of the iiidicators. Otherwise the circuits` are the same.

Many modifications may be vmade without departing from the spirit of my invention. Forexample, alternating currents may be used to energize the magnets carried by the car, as in Fig. 3, and a corresponding magnet substituted for the circuit controller beneath it having its lower pole-piece secured in this iron tie vplate J and its upper poleiece in the plane occupied by the armature o the circuit controller while the winding of the magnet would be included in the circuit oi the indicator. Thus an alternating current would be induced in the circuit of the indicator when the car with its energized magnet passed over the magnet in the track.

It will lbe seen that at speed, trains may announce their destination automatically, yet without resorting to means involving actual contact (and, consequently, destructive blows) between parts carried by the train and parts carried by the'track.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is- 1. In combination, .an indicator in a tower, a plurality of circuits for said indicatoneach of which comprises a circuit controller normally open and locatedin or alongside a trackway, a pluralit of electro-magnets carried by a car trave ing along the trackway, an electro-magnet being provided for each circuit controlienand any In this form of the invention a battery R isl employed for 9 roo isa

sodass .one of said electro-magnets to be energized -`to operato its circuit controller.

2. In combination, an indicator in a tower; a plurality of circuits for said indicator; a circuit controller for each circuit, normally open and located in or alongside a trackway; a casing for said circuit controllers having a non-magnetic top or cover; a plurality of electro-magnets carried by a car traveling along the trackway, an electro-magnet being provided for eacli circuit controller, and means for causing anyone of said electromagnets to be energized to operate its circuit controller. Y

3. In combination, an indicator in a tower; a plurality of circuits for said indicator; a circuit controller for each circuit normally .open and located in or alongside a trackway, each of which comprises a pivoted and counterweig'lited part; a plurality of electromagnets carried by a car traveling along the traclrway, an electro-magnet being provided for each circuit controller; and means for causing any one of saidelectro-magnets to be energized to operate its circuit controller.

4. In combination, an indicator in a tower, a plurality of circuits for said indicator; a circuit controller for each circuit normally open and located in or alongside a track'way a plurality oi electro-magnets mounted upon an axle ot' the car, one electro-magnet being provided for each circuit controller; and men-ns for causing any one of said electromagnets to be energized to operate its circuit controiler..

ln combination., an indicator in a tower, a plurality of circuits for said indicator; a circuit controller' for each circuit normally open and located in or alongside a trackway; a plurality of electro-magnets mounted upon ,an axle of the car, one electro-magnet being rovided for each circuit controller; means or holding tlie electro-magnets against displacement duc to rotation of the axle; and means for causing any one of said electromagnets to be energized to operate its circuit controller.

6. In combination, an indicator in a tower, a plurality. of circuits 'for said indicator; a circuit controller for each circuit normally open and located in or alongside a trackway; a plurality of electro-magnets mounted upon an axle of the car, one electro-ma net being rovided for each circuit controler; means or permitting relative movement between the car axle and electro-magnets; and means for causing any one of said electro-magnets to be energized to operate its circuit con` troller.

7. In combination, an indicator in a tower, a plurality of circuits for said indicator; a

,circuit controller for each circuit; a casing for containing the circuit controllers; a plurality of electro-ma nets suspended from the axle oi a car, one e ectro-ma0net being provided for each circuit controller; and means for causing any one` of said electro-magnetsto be energized to operate its circuit controller.

8. In combination, an indicator in a tower;

a plurality of circuits forsaidindicator; a circuit controller for each circuit; a plurality of electro-magnets carried by a car traveling along the railway, one electro-magnet being provided for eacli circuit controller, andmeans for causing any one of said electromagnets to be energized to operate its circuit controller. l i i In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this s eciiication in the presence of two subscribe Witnesses.

JOHN P. COLEMAN.

lNitnesses:

M. S. KIRTLAND, Wu F. Woon. 

